World

An art exhibition in Brazil called the “Queer Museum” was shut down last September after religious backlash, but has reopened this August.

Head of art school Parque Lage, Fabio Szwarcwald, resurrected the exhibit by starting a record-breaking crowdfunding page that raised over $327,000 to support the project. The 264 art pieces curated by Gaudêncio Fidélis are now being presented at the school for free.

“It is a very important moment for Brazilian democracy, a convincing demonstration that the most progressive sectors of society will not accept censorship. We haven’t seen an act of censorship of this size and severity since the dictatorship,” Fidélis said to AFP.

Religious protestors claimed that the exhibit showed “zoophilia,” “pedophilia,” and “blasphemy,” raising signs that read “God created man in his image; he created a man and a woman” during Fidélis’ opening ceremony speech the second time around. Despite this, the reopened exhibit saw 7,000 visitors on its opening weekend, Brazil Reports said.